REVIEW: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

 

Author: Aimee Carter

Series: Goddess Test

Pages: 293

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Amazon: The Goddess Test

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

REVIEW: 3 out of 5 stars

I was initially drawn to The Goddess Test from the beautiful cover and wonderful synopsis and although I enjoyed this book there was unfortunately something missing from it for me to really be captivated by it.

Kate Winters mother is dying of cancer and her last wish is to move back to her childhood home in Eden, Michigan; Kate’s life revolves around her, keeping her comfortable and spending as much time with her as she possibly can; she literally has no life of her own besides attending the local school and having no interest in making friends until James and Ava come along.

Ava entices Kate to a supposed party where in fact it is a jealous prank which goes horribly wrong and ultimately leads to Ava’s death – when a dark and mysterious stranger, Henry comes along and offers Kate a deal, Ava’s life returned for six months of her living with him she willingly agrees although is confused by the terms of their bargain.

Henry a.k.a Hades, God of the Underworld has agreed to keep Kate’s mother alive for the duration of Kate’s stay which will allow her time to say a proper goodbye while she also completes and passes seven tests (based on the seven deadly sins) offering her the gift of immortality and to become his wife. Henry was an interesting character and although I found him a little strange at the beginning, I really liked him, he just wasn’t what I expected the God of the Underworld to be like.

I didn’t immediately warm to Kate, I can’t pinpoint exactly why – she was selfless, strong and kind and her dedication to her mother was wonderful but for some reason something was lacking for me and I didn’t really connect with her until the story had very well progressed. I felt she accepted everything all too willingly and without question or fear.

I liked the mythology – this story is a retelling of Hades & Persephone and reading about each of the Gods was intriguing. I liked Ms Carter’s modern twist.

The plot flowed well, we are given a few light twists and turns to keep us guessing, some things were predictable but it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story.

I enjoyed Ms Carter’s writing and unique storytelling; I still have a number of unanswered questions which I am hoping will be answered in the sequel.

All in all, if you are after a read filled with betrayal, sacrifice, romance, mystery and intrigue then The Goddess Test is for you. The ending was certainly unexpected so I will definitely be reading the next book in the series Goddess Interrupted.